


His Anchor

by Priscibeur



Series: His Anchor [2]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV), Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Agent Jude Kinkade, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Attempt at Humor, Family Fluff, Fluff, Jace and Zero love to tease Alec, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Professor Magnus Bane, Writer Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-09-19 18:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17007111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priscibeur/pseuds/Priscibeur
Summary: After his meeting with Magnus, Alec was certain that he'd contact him but two months later, there was still no sign of him. So when Alec is finally done with his book tour, he settles in New York ready to spend some time with his family, focus on himself and try to forget about Magnus. But maybe, the professor hasn't stopped thinking about him...





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!  
> Thank you for giving this fic a chance, I hope you'll enjoy it.  
> However, if you haven't done it already, you should read the first part of the series to have some background for this.  
> If you've already read it, please go on and leave a comment if you want to ;)  
> Enjoy!  
>   
> Beta-read by boubou

Alec chuckled at the last picture his brother had sent to his family group chat and shook his head, as he typed an answer. Jace was telling him all about how Clary had asked him to draw her and things went as bad as they could. The drawing was terrible. Alec knew his brother had no artistic sense whatsoever but that was a whole new level. He tried to reassure Clary by telling her that he had other talents to compensate. Of course, Jace couldn’t help himself and made some dirty joke but Alec didn’t mind. He missed his family. Jude and him had spent three weeks traveling around different cities in Europe and now, he couldn’t wait to go back to New York and do nothing but spend quality time with his family. Especially his little niece, Sacha, who was a true bundle of cuteness and managed to make Alec weak with a simple look. He locked his phone and looked through the window, trying not to pry on Jude’s phone conversation.

“I should land in New York around 7pm” he heard him say. “Yeah, well it’s not my fault if you decided to be an NBA player, babe” he teased Gideon and Alec couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, how about you wait until we’re together before you get all sappy?” Jude answered and Alec had to roll his eyes. These two always knew how to become cheesy real fast. “Alright, I love you. See you then” Jude concluded and hung up.

“All good?” Alec asked after turning his head towards him.

“Yeah” Jude sighed. “I won’t be able to go to the arena but we’ll meet after” he explained.

“Does he think they’ll win?”

“When does he not?” Jude chuckled. Alec had to hand it to him. Gideon’s confidence could be overwhelming sometimes, because it almost seemed as if he never doubted himself but when you were a professional baller, you had to be at least a little bit cocky.

“You’ll both still come and have dinner with us tomorrow, right?” Alec wondered.

Jude’s cheeks reddened and Alec arched an eyebrow.

“I’ll tell you again tomorrow… afternoon” he answered. Alec shook his head and turned back to the window. He didn’t say it out loud but he envied him. His relationship with Gideon. Well, he didn’t want to be with Gideon, God no. He envied the stable relationship. The constant feeling of reassurance, the constant feeling of love… He sort of had that with his family, but he needed something else. Someone else.

His mind wandered to this amazing literature professor he met the last time he was in New York. He had thought that they might run into each other during the few weeks he spent there for the holidays but no. After all, New York was a big city but he could still hope, right? On the other hand, he had received no phone call, nor text message, nothing. He knew he told him to contact him when he needed him to come give a lecture to his students but he could have contacted beforehand, right? Even for a coffee. Alec would have been fine with anything, as long as he got to meet him again.

Unfortunately, he had to come to the conclusion that he had simply forgotten about him. Jude tried to convince it was impossible, considering the man had taken the time to go to a book signing but the facts were there. No sign from him, absolutely none in 8 weeks. That had to mean something. Or nothing, in that case. Alec let out a quiet sigh, ready to face the fact that his friends were going to try to set him up with someone, to make him forget about the “professor” as they liked to refer to him. A part of him didn’t want to, because he still hoped he’d contact him, but he had to face reality. Nothing was ever going to happen so he should move on. Alec was still young and handsome, to quote his friends —mostly Jace and Gideon who liked to tease way too much— so it shouldn’t be hard to meet someone interesting, right?

 

When they landed in New York, Alec was genuinely surprised to see his sister and brother-in-law waiting for them. The most surprising thing was that baby Sacha was there as well, in her mother’s arms. Isabelle knew how much Alec loved his niece so she thought he’d be happy to see her as soon as he landed and she had been right considering the huge smile on his face. He walked up to them and immediately took the little girl into his arms, while Jude hugged Simon, then Izzy.

“I haven’t seen him this relaxed since we left” Jude confessed to them. They were all looking at Alec, who was blabbering nonsense to his niece, and chuckled, amused by how quick Alec had soften in Sacha’s presence.

“You do realize we’re also here, right?” Simon teased Alec. The man turned his head and sent them a sheepish smile.

“Sorry” he winced. He held Sacha with one arm, against his chest and hugged his sister with the other. He did the same with Simon, before holding Sacha with both arms again.

“Alright, let’s go” Simon said. “Your mom has prepared so much food for your return, it almost made me sick” he joked, as he took Alec’s luggage.

“Jude, you’re having dinner with us, right?” Isabelle asked him.

“I don’t want to impose” he answered.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re family!” she replied, as she hooked her arm around his. “Plus, we could watch Zero’s game at the same time. Jace’s probably already watching it.”

They followed Simon to their car and Alec carefully installed Sacha in her baby seat, while the two other men put the bags in the truck.

“I guess I can’t say no to that invitation” Jude accepted. “It’ll be hilarious to watch Jace sulk when the Knicks lose.”

Simon gasped, feeling personally attacked.

“The audacity” he whispered.

They all laughed, before hopping in the car. Isabelle and Simon at the front, Jude and Alec at the back.

“Is Max gonna be there?” Alec asked while Sacha played with his finger.

“He’s grounded, remember?” Isabelle laughed from the driver’s seat. “He can’t really go anywhere.”

Alec nodded, remembering what his siblings had told him a few days ago. Their youngest had decided to drive their mother’s boyfriend’s car into a tree. Hopefully, he wasn’t hurt but Alec had no problem imagining his mother and Luke lecture Max about safety, not driving under any influences… The same talk she had given each of them as the years went by. He had to admit, though, he couldn’t wait to tease his baby brother about it.

It felt nice and invigorating to be back home and to be able to relax for some time. He knew he had meetings with his publishing house but Jude had told him to enjoy the next few days and to completely disconnect from reality. He knew how much Alec needed it so he had been adamant about it. And for once, Alec was simply going to listen because he realized during this trip how tired he was.

They parked in front of the brownstone and hopped out of the car. Maryse was standing at the door, with a big smile on her face. Alec felt his heart tighten and quickly walked up to her. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed his mother. Of course, a part of him always missed her when he was away but seeing her again, with that motherly loving look on her face, made him realize how much he desperately needed a hug from his mother. He smiled broadly as she opened her arms and took her between his. Maryse held him just as tightly and rubbed his back while Alec put his face in the crook of her neck.

“Hey mom” Alec said as he held her close.

“My baby” she whispered in his ear.

“You know I’m your oldest, right?” he joked and earned a smack on his shoulder.

“It’s good to have you home” she added before detaching herself from him.

“It’s good to be home” he replied.

Maryse touched his cheek and turned to Jude who had joined them. She opened her arms and hugged him too.

“It’s good to see you too, Jude. I hope you’re staying for dinner?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world” he smiled before letting go of her.

They all went inside and Alec felt like a weight was being pulled off his shoulders. He was in his family house, with his family and didn’t need to worry about anything else for a least a week. Simon put his luggage in the foyer, next to Jude’s and they all followed Maryse and Isabelle, who was holding Sacha. They could already hear Jace’s protests coming from the living-room and Alec shared an amused look with Jude. This was going to be fun.

“Come on!” Jace exclaimed as he got up. “How could you miss that?!”

Luke was sitting on the couch, next to him, a beer in hand and laughing at his stepson’s reactions. Max and Clary were sitting at the dining table, further into the room, quietly talking and throwing amused looks at Jace, from time to time.

“I swear if the Knicks don’t get their act together, I’ll burn this house down” Jace threatened.

“Probably not the best thing to say in front of a cop” Luke told him.

“You’re family, you won’t arrest me” Jace simply shrugged.

“Can we not joke about burning our house?” Maryse intervened.

They all turned their heads towards the new comers and waves of “Alec”, “Jude” and “Welcome home” were said. They all hugged, some longer than others, before they all settled in the living room. Jude sat right next to Jace, to get caught up in the game, while Alec sat with Max, Clary, Isabelle and baby Sacha. Simon, apparently, was helping Maryse cook tonight. Alec knew Simon was a good cook but to have his mother agree to have him in the kitchen meant a lot.

“So Mister Super Famous Author,” Clary teased him, “how was Europe?”

“Pretty amazing” Alec sighed, happily. “I got amazing gifts, people were so nice and so welcoming. I had some pretty interesting conversations too” he chuckled lightly. “And the food, oh my God” he moaned. “It’s a miracle Jude and I didn’t get fat.”

They turned their heads when they heard Jude scream and Jace complain. Apparently, LA had scored. They all laughed quietly and resumed their conversation.

“All in all, it was pretty great, but it’s good to be back” Alec concluded.

“Do you have any plans for the next few days?” Isabelle asked.

“Except spending lot of time with my niece,” Alec said as he leaned towards the little girl to shake her hand. “Nothing much, no” he answered.

“Sweet” Max intervened. “That way you can help me with my essay” he told him.

“You’re sure you deserve my help after crashing Luke’s car?” Alec winced. Max dramatically rolled his eyes and groaned.

“It was an accident and I’m fine” he countered.

“You’re still grounded” Luke said loud enough from his spot on the couch. He raised his beer when they looked at him and turned his attention back to the game.

“We’ll start working on it, tomorrow” Alec told his little brother. Max smiled widely at him and vigorously nodded.

After that, Alec caught up with Clary about the evolution of her current projects. The little redhead was about to open her first art gallery and Alec was glad to be back in town right on time to go to the opening. He saw how hard she worked for it so he was excited for her. She told him all about the doubts, fears, many breakdowns she had but also about the way her family had been there for her. That included the Morgensterns but also the Lightwoods. Clary had been a part of their lives for so long, Alec and Isabelle considered her a sister long before her and Jace started dating.

Obviously Alec was invited to the opening and Isabelle used it as an excuse to drag him to go shopping in the next few days. Alec had many clothes he could wear for the event but he understood it was a simple excuse from his sister to spend some time alone with him. He agreed to it, only after he had gotten over the jet-lag though. He was also happy to hear she had another week before going back to work so they could spend some time together before he’d steal Sacha away from his parents.

Simon came back to the living/dining room just when Jude stood up with a proud smile on his face and Jace was sulking, his head between his hands.

“The Knicks lost already?” Max asked.

“Not yet, but there’s only one quarter left and it’s looking pretty good for LA” Jude answered smugly.

Alec shook his head as he watched his stepdad trying to console Jace. Simon told them to come and get the table ready so they all —except for Isabelle— started to walk around putting the plates, dishes, cutlery and different bottles of wine as well as non-alcoholic beverages on the table. They were all pretty quickly installed: Jude, Luke and Jace towards the end of the table which gave them the best view on the game. Alec, Max and Izzy on Jude’s right; Clary and Simon in front of them and Maryse was seated on the other end of the table.

Alec felt relaxed and at peace with himself. He’d missed this. Simply being with his family, sharing a meal, with no apparent worries, just him relaxing and forgetting about the world for once. About the clench in his heart because he’d been deceived, again.

“So, Alec,” started Luke. “Are you finally settling down in New York?”

Everyone, except Jude, turned to him. This had been an ongoing topic since the beginning of his writing career. Alec had moved to Los Angeles because he was blinded by love. Thankfully, he had met Jude there who managed to help him land back on his feet. He helped him get over his broken heart, get a new job and simply get out of his bed everyday. Things had been tough for Alec, there was no denying it, but LA would always remind him of what he’d lost. He left New York behind, in hopes of starting a new and better life, but that only happened after he’d been crushed. He had wanted to stay there until he got better, so his family wouldn’t worry too much and now he was. So after a long talk with Jude, he’d decided to move back to New York, permanently. His publishing house had an office in the city, so that wouldn’t be a problem. He just needed to sit down and talk about his plans and he’d be good to do whatever he wanted.

“I am” he announced with a large smile. “I still need to work a few things out, but I should be able to move back here.”

Max wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders and whispered to his ear how happy he was to hear that. Max might not be the most demonstrative person —just like any other teenager, actually— but he missed having his big brother around. Sure, he loved Izzy and Jace, but his relationship with Alec was different. Alec truly got him. He always knew what to say or do to make him feel better about everything. Now, he would be able to spend as much time as he wanted with his big brother without having to worry about the next time he’d leave.

“It’ll be great to have you back, brother” Jace sincerely said. Alec smiled and nodded. It would also be great for him to be back.

The game resumed on the screen, so Maryse decided it was best to leave the three men to themselves and chatted with the rest of the table. They talked about Clary’s family, especially her brother who got his first big deal. Jonathan was an architect, a really talented one, still waiting on his big break and it appeared he was finally having it. They moved to Isabelle and Simon’s fourth anniversary coming up —Alec still couldn’t believe his sister was married after all this time—, on their plans and Alec immediately volunteered to babysit Sacha.

“You’re going to spoil her so much when she grows up” Clary scoffed.

“That’s why I’m the cool uncle” Alec shrugged.

“No you’re not” Max and Jace said both at the same time. Jace shifted his gaze from the tv to look at Max and squinted his eyes.

“We’ll talk about that after the game” he simply said.

Max waited until he wasn’t looking to lean towards his sister.

“I’m the coolest uncle” he assured her. Alec laughed and ruffled his hair before turning to his sister.

“I’m guessing you won’t baptize her, correct?” he asked.

Simon was Jewish, and no matter how much Maryse was strict on tradition, he knew she would never impose her beliefs over someone else’s. Not that Isabelle would even let that happen.

“Actually,” started Simon. “We’ve been talking about it and…”

“YES!” Jude exclaimed as Jace let out a loud “No” at the same time. Everyone turned to them, clearly judging them for their reactions and also for interrupting their discussion. But the boys didn’t seem to notice.

“We won” Jude said proudly, looking at the screen where Zero was cheering with his team.

“We just got crushed” mumbled Jace. “At home.”

He sat on his chair, looking completely demolished and Clary tried not to laugh as she consoled him the best she could. Jude sat down again and apologized for his outburst.

“He’s gonna be insufferable tonight” Alec whispered at him.

“Nothing I can’t handle” Jude whispered back, with a sly smile, and Alec had to try very hard not to gag.

“I hate you” he concluded before turning back to Simon. “You were saying?”

“We’re going to baptize her” he told him. “And we want you to be her godfather.”


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, college can really be time-consuming huh ?
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this story, I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> For those asking, this fic will not be a slow burn (I could never write one haha)
> 
> Thank you to boubou for being an amazing beta reader :) 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter and hopefully, I'll see you soon.

“This would look adorable on her, don’t you think?” Isabelle asked, as she turned around to show a cute little red dress, with a white bow at the front.

Alec looked up from the stroller, where Sacha was lying. Isabelle had been adamant on wanting to spend as much time as possible with her elder brother before she had to go back to work, so she had arrived way too early that morning to take him shopping for Sacha. He’d thought of throwing his sister away but he heard Sacha squeal and felt his heart melt. Obviously, Alec said yes immediately as he’d do anything for his niece. His future goddaughter, now. He had taken all his will power not to cry in front of his family but he felt honoured to have been chosen by his sister and his brother-in-law. Especially considering that he hadn’t been around much lately. It was a proof that nothing had changed and that was everything he needed.

Of course, Jude has asked about all the details to make sure they —Alec, Jude and Gideon— could all come. Jude was very close to Alec’s family. He had been the one taking care of him when he was away from them, becoming his family for the time being, and every Lightwood felt grateful for that. Plus, for Jace at least, it also didn’t hurt that Jude was dating a professional basketball player.

So, now, Alec had to fulfill some uncle/godfather duties and that included shopping, which actually didn’t hurt much.

“It is pretty adorable” Alec admitted. “But don’t you think you should buy her warmer clothes? You know, we’re still in the middle of winter.”

Isabelle sent him an annoyed look and turned around to put the dress back where she’d found it.  
Alec chuckled fondly and dug his phone from his front pocket. He’d received two text messages and rolled his eyes when he saw “Gideon” written.

_Just wanted to thank you for finally ending your world tour. It felt good to finally rock my boyfriend’s world, if you know what I mean ;)_

_Oh, and Jude tells me to tell you that we’ll be there tonight._

Alec rolled his eyes again, annoyed but amused. When Jude had started dating Gideon, he hadn’t hidden the fact that he didn’t like how close Alec and Jude were. Alec understood it, he and Jude had a pretty close relationship, anyone would have been weary and chosen not to get involved. Jude almost decided not to get too close to him because Zero had a pretty eventful past, lots of “girlfriends”, hook-ups, people who swore they knew him when he was a foster kid… Everyone had tried to tear him down, causing Jude to doubt and hesitate in regards of if being with someone so famous was a good idea or not. Eventually, Zero came to their place and poured his feelings out, hoping it would convince Jude but he still hesitated. Alec and he had spent hours, afterwards, talking about it, about how it would be good for Jude to say yes. He had nothing much to lose, so they made a pact. If Jude let himself be happy with Zero, Alec would face his fears and send his script.

That was when _Gideon_ finally took the time to learn more about Alec, his past and why him and Jude were so close. The three of them had spent the evening talking and Gideon had ended up hugging Alec, promising him to help him find “the one”. He meant what he said that day, up to the point where Alec seriously wondered if he was doing it only to get rid of him —which Gideon had not entirely denied— but he simply wanted him to be happy, just like Jude was making him happy. The three of them ended having a really close relationship, Jude and Gideon were like the “gay godfathers” Alec needed (Gideon’s words, not his) and it worked out pretty well.

That was why Alec ended up in situations like this where one of them would share too much information and would almost make Alec gag every time. But deep down, he was happy to see them so happy because they deserved it after all they had been through before.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Izzy eventually asked.

Alec blinked several times and shrugged.

“My future book” Alec said. Izzy promptly turned on her heels to glare at him.

“You just got back home and you’re already thinking about that?”

“I’m a writer, Iz, I need to think about my job” he scoffed.

“But you just got home” she repeated. Alec tried not to roll his eyes and simply shook his head.

“It’s not like I’m leaving anytime soon, I haven’t even started writing yet” he assured.

Isabelle pouted, not fully convinced by her brother’s words and turned back to the clothes. Just like the rest of the family, she had missed her big brother. She needed him around her, not matter how selfish she knew she was. She hadn’t handled it well when he left for the West Coast. She was scared for him and hearing about everything that went down didn’t help her sleep better at night. She was relieved to hear about Jude, because she knew how closed off her brother could be. He needed someone to help him get out of his own way when he was depressed. Having him half way across the country made the entire thing worse, so Isabelle would always have a debt towards Jude.

Alec seemed to feel Isabelle’s uneasiness and moved to put his hand on her shoulder but she quickly turned around.

“I need to go to the bathroom” she mumbled before walking away.

Alec didn’t try to stop her, feeling he should give her space. They had always been close. They used to share absolutely everything —mainly because Isabelle wouldn’t leave him alone until he’d tell her everything— but that had changed. He wasn’t keeping her in the dark, he told her most things and shared what he felt relevant with her but she wasn’t his best friend anymore. Not like she used to be at least. It still daunted Isabelle until this day. She knew her brother had the right to keep secrets from her, but she hated that they weren’t that close anymore.

Alec understood how it could affect her and why she felt like she was pushed aside but it wasn’t like that. Alec loved his sister deeply, just as he knew she loved him too but they were grownups who each had the right to keep some things to themselves. It’s not like they weren’t talking to each other anymore. Sacha cooed from her stroller, catching Alec’s attention who felt himself soften immediately when he met her gaze.

“Women are complicated people, aren’t they?” he asked her. “Please, never be this complicated,” he implored her and smiled even more when she sent him a small smile.

He looked up and resumed wandering around to see if something was worth his attention. He took a few steps and stopped near a pile of ridiculously small sweaters. He took one in hand and showed it to Sacha.

“What do you think? You like this colour?”

“Alec?” said a voice near him.

Alec looked up from Sacha and froze on the spot as his eyes widen considerably. There he was. The man he had been thinking about these last few months while desperately hoping he’d get anything from him. Alec opened his mouth, ready to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. Magnus looked even more beautiful than in his memories. He was wearing a woollen grey coat, a black scarf wrapped around his neck, deep blue jeans and the glasses that made Alec feel weak. His smile widen as he met Alec’s hazel eyes and he walked closer to him.

“It is you,” he exclaimed happily. “I wasn’t entirely sure but I thought I could give it a try.”

“Er, Magnus, right?” Who was he kidding? He knew perfectly well what his name was but he needed to keep some of his dignity intact and try to pretend he hadn’t spent the last two months thinking about him. Magnus sent him a soft smile and nodded. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too,” Magnus assured. “Nice stubble by the way, I almost didn’t recognize you because of it,” Magnus complimented him. “You didn’t have it before, did you?”

Alec blushed, as he got more aware of the way Magnus was _really_ watching him, just like the first time they met. The way his eyes sparkled, like he was truly happy to see Alec at that moment, it made the writer’s heart beat a little faster.

“No, I didn’t,” he said rubbing his chin. “Whenever I’m off, I stop shaving every two days like I do when I work and this is what happens. Soon enough I’ll have a full-on beard,” he joked.

Magnus sent him an amused smile and tilted his head to the side.

“Well I like it, it looks good on you,” he sincerely said.

Alec blushed even more and looked down, feeling shy. Thank God for his stubble right now, at least it helped hide how shy and timid he felt at the moment. No one had managed to make him feel like this. Like he could just let go and someone would be there to catch him. And, yes, Magnus seemed to be that person, and no, it didn’t matter that this was only their second encounter. Alec didn’t need anything more to know he could let go with Magnus. He looked at Sacha, who was trying to catch his attention, and Magnus took a step closer to them and seemed surprise when he looked at her.

“Oh, are you here with your partner and your child?” he asked in a small voice.

Alec frowned, sensing a little disappointment in his voice. Was he disappointed that Alec might have a child and a partner? Though, it took a second for Alec to realize that Magnus thought Sacha was his daughter so Izzy would be… He made a face and quickly shook his head.

“Oh, gross, no,” he winced. “That’s baby Sacha, my niece, my sister’s daughter,” he rapidly explained, wanting to rapidly clear the confusion.

Magnus seemed even more surprised by this declaration and blushed a little. Alec couldn’t help but find it adorable as a soft smile placed itself on his face. Magnus slightly shook his head, with an amused but terribly embarrassed smile.

“My apologies, I should not have assumed,” Magnus said.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine” he reassured him. “I mean, I understand the confusion, she does look a little bit like me” he added.

“She does and she is adorable,” Magnus smiled as he waved at her. “Though she does not have your beautiful hazel eyes.”

Alec looked back up at him and his breath hitched as he realized how close to each other they were. He could actually smell Magnus’ sweet, sweet perfume. It took his brain a minute to understand the compliment he just made and Alec wondered if it was possible for him to blush even more. And if it wasn’t possible before, it certainly was now. He cleared his throat and took a step back, to give his brain a chance to correctly function again.

”So, uh, what are you doing here?” he asked.

Magnus sensed his uneasiness and smiled softly.

“I was shopping for…”

“Well, hello there,” someone interrupted him.

Alec turned his head and immediately rolled his eyes. Isabelle was back, but with Jude and Gideon, who was smiling like he had just won the lottery. Isabelle seemed intrigued by Magnus’ presence but Gideon seemed to be fully enjoying this already. By the way, what the hell were they even doing here? Gideon had just texted Alec, they were supposed to be in bed, in whatever hotel Gideon’s team was staying, not here with Alec and Magnus.

“How are you here?” Alec asked.

“Jude wanted to go shopping so we were already in the area, Izzy called to yell at him then she told us where you guys were and voilà,” the blond one rapidly explained, before he adjusted the beanie on his head.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Alec groaned towards Izzy.

“You should be glad that they’re here, at least Jude managed to help me not be mad at you anymore” she warned him. Alec sighed and nodded at Jude to thank him. At least, he didn’t have to worry about his sister anymore.

“Are they friends of yours?” Magnus asked at the same time as he reminded Alec that he was there too.

“Unfortunately” Alec answered at the same time Gideon said “Best friends”. The blonde man sent him his best smile while Alec just glared at him.

“Let’s not get carried away,” Alec told him.

“Why, Alexander, are you embarrassed or something?” Gideon joked, bringing a hand to his heart.

“Of you? Always,” Alec admitted.

“I didn’t know your full name was Alexander,” Magnus interrupted them. Alec turned to him again and had to remind himself to keep it together. It did something to Alec to hear Magnus say his full name like that. Like it had a different meaning when he said it. And he didn’t hate it, like he hated it when anyone else said it.

“No one has the right to use it,” Isabelle explained to him. “So we usually use it to tease him or annoy him.”

“And you succeed every time,” Alec added with a fake smile on his face. Isabelle stuck out her tongue and Jude let out a deep sigh.

“Forgive these three, they don’t know how to properly behave themselves,” Jude said, in hopes of making things less awkward for the man. “This is Isabelle, Alec’s sister. This is my boyfriend, Zero, and I’m Jude, Alec’s agent.”

“I’m Magnus. It is a pleasure to meet all of you,” he sincerely said.

Alec frowned when he saw Gideon’s eyes twinkle, like something had clicked in his mind and expected the worst.

“ _Oh_ , that’s 'the professor’,” he finally said. Isabelle’s brows shot up, as she realized the same thing and Jude bit the inside of his cheek.

“Please don’t,” Alec whispered and Magnus seemed deeply confused by the situation.

“Do you know me?” the professor eventually asked.

“Oh, I’ve heard plenty,” Gideon assured with a large smile.

“Alright, you need to stop talking,” Jude intervened. The poor man looked already frightened enough, he needed to put an end to his misery. “My partner doesn’t know when to shut up. I may have mentioned that Alec gave his number to a professor, and how proud I was about the recognition he was getting and it must have stuck with him.”

“Let’s go with that,” Gideon muttered.

“Anyway,” Alec said as he clapped his hands. “I think it’s time for us to go. I don’t want to take more of your time,” he added.

“I’m sure he doesn’t mind,” the blond man insisted.

“Stop it,” Jude muttered as he pinched his arm.

“I guess I’ll see you when you’ll call me for the lecture?” Alec continued, turning his full attention to Magnus.

“How about we meet before that? To talk about the lecture. We could get coffee and chat,” he suggested.

Alec couldn’t contain the large smile that slowly grew on his face and nodded, enthusiastically.

“That’d be amazing,” he accepted. “Well, you have my number.”

“I do,” Magnus chuckled. “I’ll text you, soon, I promise.”

“I will wait for it.”

They stayed there for a few seconds, looking in each other’s eyes, like there were only them in the world, and it took Sacha cooing to bring them back. Gideon rolled his eyes and stifled a snort, amused by the scene, before Jude smacked his arm.

“It was great meeting all of you,” Magnus finally said to the other three. “I’ll see you soon, Alexander. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye Magnus,” Alec said with a little wave.

“Bye,” Gideon said, with his usual smirk.

Alec waited until Magnus was far enough to turn towards his friends.

“What the _actual_ hell was that?” he asked them.

Isabelle simply shrugged, while Jude seemed embarrassed of Gideon, who was clearly proud of himself.

“Look, I was just doing you a favour,” Gideon began.

“Oh, really?” Alec asked, crossing his arms on his chest. “By all means, explain to me how embarrassing me like that was in my best interest?”

“If you and him are gonna be a thing, he needs to be prepared, Alec. Everyone in your family, your backstory, Jude and I, everything about you can be overwhelming for anyone, I was just trying to see if he’d be up for it,” he explained and as annoying as it could sound, Alec understood it.

Gideon was just trying to have his back and protect him. Sure, it was a little early to start imagining a relationship between him and Magnus but Alec knew he wanted one. Magnus appeared to be everything Alec needed at the moment and maybe for the future but he should just focus on present times first. Nothing was settled between Magnus and him for now so he should just go on with his life, like he did these past few months, and simply wait.

“Thank you,” he sincerely said and Gideon hugged him, while Jude and Izzy looked at them with amused faces. “Alright, let go of me,” Alec told him and he stepped back. “Can we continue shopping now or you have anything else to add?”

“Well, I could tell you about what Jude and I did last night…” he started but Alec put his hand on his mouth.

“Please don’t,” he begged him. “Izzy?”

“Let’s go, I still need to buy some clothes for my daughter and now that uncle Zero is here, he can spoil her all he wants,” she said with a large smile.

“Nothing would make me happier,” Gideon assured.


End file.
